Fixing Broken Men
by InTheCompanyOfDragons
Summary: Sequel to Fixing Broken Children. When Sam leaves for Stanford, Dean loses the one person who has always held him together and pulled him out of the dark places in his mind. Caleb needs to help his friend move on with half his heart intact.
1. Chapter 1

Fixing Broken Adults

Caleb was in the office of his apartment attempting to make the architectural plans for a new housing development outside of the city, and he had a headache from staring at it for too long. At thirty, Caleb considered himself pretty successful, he had graduated from college, owned his own business that was thriving, and was a hunter on the side. He heard the buzzer to his apartment go off and he went out to the living room.

"Hello?"

"Let me in."

"Deuce is that you?"

"Please." Caleb hit the button that would let his friend into the building and walked out into the hallway where he saw Dean coming out of the elevator clutching his side.

"Deuce are you okay?" Dean nodded but he was glassy eyed and Caleb looked at his friend with a worried gaze. "C'mon, lets go inside." He grabbed Dean by the collar of his jacket and dragged him into the apartment. "Dean, what's wrong with ribs?" Dean just stared at his friend but said nothing. Caleb sighed and reached out to take Dean's arms out of his leather jacket, Dean groaned at the movement, and once it was off Caleb saw blood along the side of Dean's ribs.

"Jesus Christ, this needs stitches. What happened?" Dean was staring at the floor of the kitchen, and Caleb had officially had enough. "Dean! Answer me, that's an order!" Dean's eyes flashed up to meet Caleb's.

"Bad hunt." Dean whispered. Caleb sighed.

"C'mon kid, I need to get you to the bathroom so I can stitch this mess up." Dean followed his friend to the master bathroom and he sat on the edge of the tub, while Caleb grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink and sat on the lid of the toilet across from Dean. He got the first good look at the wound, it was deep, and Caleb could see bone shining through the bloody mess. Dean barely moved as Caleb stitched up the wound, and covered it with a bandage.

"Did you break any ribs or anything?" Dean shook his head. "Okay Deuce what's up? I don't like this silent boy thing you are pulling right now, please talk to me?" Dean took a deep breath and made eye contact with Caleb.

"He's gone Damien."

"Who Deuce? What the hell is going on?" Dean's eyes were wide, and he put a hand on his chest, and Caleb started having flashbacks of years past. A time when Dean didn't talk, because it hurt him too, Caleb knew what he had to do, he had done it a million times, but now that they were both adults, reading Dean's mind had gotten harder. Adults naturally put up blocks, but Caleb pushed through the layers of blocks. "Okay Deuce, you don't have to talk, it's just like when we were kids, think at me kid."

_"Sam told Dad he was going to school, and Dad told him never to come back." _

"Okay, and what did Sam say?"

_"Nothing, he just walked out. That was three days ago and I haven't heard from him since."_

"I'm sorry for what happened, but you can't actually be shocked that Sam left for college, we knew that was gonna eventual outcome."

_"Yeah, but it wasn't supposed to be like this. When Sam left he wasn't supposed to cut all ties, he is gone Caleb."_ Caleb sighed, he had no answers for his friend, all he knew was Sam would never cut all ties unless he felt like he had to. John was an idiot, Caleb new he didn't mean it when he told Sam not to come back, but John was stubborn and he would never apologize and Sam was equally as stubborn, if John told him to leave he wouldn't come back.

"C'mon Deuce, we'll talk about it in the morning, lets get you to bed." Caleb helped Dean stand and brought him into the spare bedroom that was now Dean's. Dean always had a room at Caleb's place that way he could drop by whenever he wanted. Caleb dropped him into the bed and Dean rolled away from Caleb faced the wall. Caleb walked out to the living room and picked up his phone scrolling down to Sam's name. Caleb wasn't shocked when it went straight to the answering machine.

"Listen Sammy, I know what your Dad said to you, and I know you feel like your family has abandoned you, but I swear to God Jim, Dean, Mac and me are still here for you. You just gotta pick up the phone and call. If you don't want to talk to us or John, fine I accept that, you need to live your own life because I know you have never wanted this one, just please call you brother. Please Sam, he loves you, and he still needs you. Good luck at Stanford, kid." Caleb hung up the phone and felt sadness building up inside of him. Everything was changing, his family was changing and their youngest was no longer there to protect. But Caleb didn't have time to think about that right now. Right now, he needed to fix his friend, and help him find his voice again with only half his heart intact.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Dean slept through the night and well into the next day before Caleb decided enough was enough. He needed to find a way to fix this, he wasn't gonna sit around until Dean retreated into himself again.

"Hey Dean, C'mon time to wake up." Caleb tapped Dean's leg, and his eyes opened into slits looking blearily around the room. "I'll put the coffee on, meet me in the kitchen in five." Dean nodded. Caleb walked out of the bedroom and turned the coffee pot on and pulled some eggs and bacon out of the fridge, good thing he had actually gone grocery shopping a few days earlier. Caleb was starting the eggs and bacon when Dean walked into the room wearing the same jeans he was wearing the night before, but he had changed out of the bloody t-shirt he had been wearing and was now wearing a black AC/DC shirt. Caleb passed Dean a cup of coffee, which Dean took and sat down at the table. Caleb sat down across from him and watched Dean mechanically bring the cup to his lips and put it back down. It was a quiet morning; Caleb wasn't sure how to handle this situation. He didn't want to push Dean, but he needed to know what was going on. Caleb asked questions every once in awhile, and he would either get a nod or a quiet voice that he could here in his head, other then that Dean barely looked at him and made no other effort to communicate. Around noon the buzzer went off and Caleb went over to answer it.

"Reaves."

"It's Mac." Caleb swore under his breath, he forgot that his Dad was supposed to be dropping by today.

"C'mon up Dad." Caleb buzzed him in and went back over to Dean. "Hey Deuce, that was Mac, I am just gonna go meet him in the hallway I'll be right back okay?" Dean nodded and Caleb went out the door and waited by the elevator. When Mackland stepped out of the elevator he was surprised to see his son standing in the hallway.

"You know Caleb, I can find my way to your door by myself." Mac said.

"Have you talked to John?"

"Uhhh… no, not in a couple weeks what's going on?"

"Sam left for Stanford a few days ago, John didn't take it well, and told him not to come back." Mac was shocked, he knew John wasn't crazy about the idea of either of his boys living in the normal world, but he never thought John would kick his son out.

"Jesus… that man's an idiot. How do you know all this? Have you talked to Sam?"

"No, Deuce is inside, he showed up last night. Sam hasn't called him since he left, and he isn't taking it too well."

"Well of course he isn't Caleb, he has always taken care of his brother, and they have never exactly spent much time apart."

"No Dad, you don't understand. He is playing the quiet game with me. He talked to me a little last night, but he hasn't said a word this morning."

"You mean like when he was a kid?"

"Yeah… I'm scared Dad."

"It'll be okay Caleb, we'll get through this, just like we did last time." Caleb nodded.

"C'mon lets go in, he has a pretty bad cut on his side that I want you to take a look at." Mackland followed Caleb into the apartment and into the kitchen where Dean was sitting staring at the wall.

"Hello Dean." Dean jumped, and looked at Mackland. He sat up a little straighter and cleared his throat.

"Hi." He said quietly. Mackland looked at the man sadly. Dean may have been a quiet kid, but as an adult it was hard to get him to shut his mouth. This sudden turn around was terrifying to Mackland, how could he have reverted this much in such little time.

"I heard you got yourself an injury, mind if I take a look? I trust Caleb in a pinch, but he isn't exactly a doctor either." Dean smiled sadly and nodded his head. He stood up and removed his shirt, which wasn't easy due to the place the wound was sitting. Mackland peeled back the gauze and checked the wound, Caleb had done a good job and it seemed like they might avoid an infection, but it was deep and would definitely leave a nasty scar. Mackland bandaged it back up and gave Dean back his t shirt. Dean walked out of the room and went into the bathroom leaving Mackland and Caleb standing awkwardly in the kitchen not knowing what to do next.

"What do we do here Dad?" Mackland sighed.

"I am not sure Caleb, but for now, I need to call John and find out what the hell he was thinking."

"Alright, let him know that if I can't pull Deuce out of this, I hold him personally responsible" Mac smirked, and nodded his head, and walked into Caleb's office to so he could call his friend. The phone rang for awhile and Mackland that John wasn't gonna pick up, but then he heard a voice on the other end.

"Mac?" John said.

"Hello John, where are you?"

"Just outside New York, why?"

"I'm at Caleb's, and Dean's here." John sighed.

"Is he okay?"

"Well that depends, do you want to know if he is okay? Or are you asking if he is Winchester definition okay?"

"Mac, don't start with me okay? I don't need it right now."

"He's alive, Caleb stitched him up. What the hell happened?"

"Bad hunt, people get hurt."

"Don't play dumb with me Winchester. I get to Caleb's, Dean is here with an injury, and he is playing the quiet game because Sam took off."

"Sam made his choice, he walked away from me and his brother, and don't worry about Dean, he is strong and he will be fine, he is just processing."

"Sam wanted to go to school, that wasn't a crime that deserves the punishment of being told he can't ever some home, and you aren't listening to me John, Dean is retreating inside himself, just like he did when he was a kid. So I don't care how bad your feelings are hurt, get your sorry ass down here and help the one son you have left that you haven't driven away."

"You are really Mackland."

"I am only getting to you because you know it's the truth, let me know when you get here." Mackland hung up his phone and then decided to make one more phone call, nobody answered so he left a message.

"Hello Samuel it's Mackland, I hope you made it safely to California and I know you are going to do great at Stanford." Mackland paused to wipe his eyes. "Listen, we are all so proud of you, and I don't want you to ever forget that. You will always have family waiting for you when you need us, you just have to call, and we will be there, no matter what you need. If you want to make a clean cut I completely, but at least call your brother Samuel, your father can be an ass, I know he can, but Dean has nothing to with it. Take care son. Good luck."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Dean was leaning over the sink splashing water on his face, he felt lost and he didn't know what to do. With Sam gone, what was he supposed to do? He had always had one job, he was supposed to look after Sammy, and now he didn't know what to do without him here. Dean felt tightness in his chest that he hadn't felt in a long time, and when he looked down he realized he was scratching at his arms. He clenched his fists and pulled them to his sides, he was too old for this.

"Get it together." He whispered to himself. He took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom, and back into the living room. He sat down on the couch across from Caleb and Mackland but refused to make eye contact with either of them. Caleb watched Dean carefully, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. The three of them must have sat like that for an hour when there was a knock on the door. Caleb opened the door and John Winchester was standing on the other side.

"How did you get passed security?" John smirked.

"Please, two guys who went to school at a mini mall aren't going to keep me out of the building. Where is he?" John pushed passed Caleb and into the apartment.

"Living room." Caleb followed John back into the living room and stood behind the couch. He saw Dean tense as John walked over to him and he had a heat behind his eyes that Caleb had never seen directed at his father.

"Dean? What are you doing here?" Dean was breathing heavily and continued to stare at his father. "Dean answer me now." John ordered and still Dean said nothing. John grabbed Dean by the arm and hauled him off the couch, and Dean let loose a low growl before hitting his father hard in the jaw. John stumbled back and watched Dean who was standing in front of him.

"He's gone." Dean whispered. "And it's all your fault." Dean walked out of the room and Caleb heard Dean's bedroom door slam. John wiped the blood from his face and looked at the other two men in the room.

"Call me when he has regained his senses." John said.

"You're leaving? Are you fucking kidding me John?" Caleb yelled.

"Watch your tone kid."

"Watch my tone? You are walking out on the only son you haven't driven away."

"There is nothing I can do for him, Caleb. I have hunts to go on, people to save." Caleb sighed and shook his head at his mentor.

"What happened to the John Winchester who would stop at nothing to help his son find his voice? When did you become such a bastard? When did you stop having the balls to help your kids? Or is driving them away the only thing you know how to do now?" John slammed Caleb against the wall and held him by the collar of his shirt.

"Do not give me a parenting speech, boy. You know nothing about it, hell you know nothing about family, yours are all dead." That hurt Caleb more then he would ever admit, he knew it was said out of anger, but the Winchesters were his family, and he would do anything to protect them.

"Put him down John." Mackland said. John let go of Caleb's shirt and backed away. "If you don't want to stay then fine, go but keep your phone on." John said nothing and walked out of the apartment. He was livid, but he also knew Dean needed help; help that he couldn't give him. He picked up his phone and dialed his youngest son's number, and it went straight to voicemail.

"Sam, call your brother and let him know you got to Stanford okay." John hung up the phone, and walked out of the apartment building.

"Bastard…" Caleb whispered under his breath.

"Why do you insist on pressing his buttons?" Mackland said.

"Oh, c'mon Dad, did I say anything that wasn't true?"

"No, but you didn't have to be so vicious about it."

"Do you know any other way to get through John's thick skull?" Mackland laughed quietly.

"Touché. You should go check on Dean, speaking of hard heads, his hand probably hurts from punching his father in the jaw." Caleb laughed and headed to Dean's bedroom, stopping at the kitchen to grab the first aid kit and some ice. Dean was sitting on the bed propped up against the headboard, and he turned his head toward the door as Caleb walked in. Caleb sat down beside him on the bed.

"Hey Deuce." Dean cleared his throat.

"Hey." Dean said.

"So you are speaking to me." Dean smirked. He was still talking quieter then he usually would, but at least he was talking.

"I pretty much always talked to you, plus you are harder to ignore. Did Dad leave?"

"Uh, yeah about ten minutes ago. He said to call him when…" Caleb didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"When I've regained my senses?"

"Yeah that is exactly what he said, how did you know that?"

"He said the same thing to Sam. I just figured he would give me the same speech."

"Yeah well your Dad is an ass."

"It's a Winchester trait…"

"So is that what this is actually about?"

"What are you talking about Damien?"

"Are you actually pissed at your Dad, or are you pissed at yourself?" Dean frowned and looked away from Caleb. Caleb continued to sit there waiting for some kind of an answer until he saw Dean scratching roughly at his arms. Caleb grabbed Dean by both wrists. "Dean stop." Dean struggled against his grasp, and he was a lot stronger then he had been as a kid. Caleb pulled Dean down to the floor as the younger man tried to back him off. "Dean stop it! Mac get in here!" Mackland ran into the room and saw his son and Dean on the floor; Caleb was behind Dean holding his arms to the sides.

"What's happening Caleb?"

"He started scratching at his arms and when I grabbed them he flipped out, I just need to get him to calm down." Mackland bent down in front of Dean and put his hand on his face.

"Dean can you hear me?" Mackland asked, but as he caught Dean's eyes, he knew that he couldn't. His eyes were blank and glazed. After a few minutes Dean stopped fighting and went still in Caleb's arms, so Caleb let go of his friend. Dean's breathing had slowed down, and he would have appeared calm to anyone else, but the blank look on Dean's face had Caleb remembering a darker part of their childhood.

"Deuce? Are you okay?" Caleb began to panic when he got no answer. "Dean? Please answer me." Caleb looked over at his father for some kind of answer. "Dad, what do we do?"

"I'm not sure Caleb, I think he went to his quiet place…"

"Dad, he hadn't done that in fifteen years…"

"It's a stress reaction Caleb, he hasn't lost anyone in his family in a very long time either." Caleb sighed and pulled Dean back up on the bed.

"How do we handle this, the only person who can pull him out of this is in California."

"Give him time Caleb, he will be alright."

"How do you know that Dad." Mackland looked at the worry in his son's eyes.

"I don't, but it is what I have to believe at the moment, so when he snaps out of it, we glue him back together. Then we will go from there."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Dean felt warm a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. He was in Sam's nursery and he was watching his mother rocking Sam to sleep in the rocking chair in the corner. She was quietly humming Hey Jude, and Dean felt happiness in the room. He was all of four years old again, sitting quietly at his mother's feet. Mary looked down at him and smiled. Dean stood up and looked at Sam who was staring up at him. He put his hand on his brother's tiny face and Sam nuzzled into it, after a few minutes he was asleep, and Mary stood up and placed Sam in his crib.

"You have the magic touch Dean, you are the only one who can put him to sleep like that." She looked down at her sleeping baby, and he face lit up with love and affection. "Let's go to your room sweetie, we need to talk."

"Okay, Mommy." Mary lifted Dean up into her arms and brought her across the hall to his room and sat him down on her lap. Dean held onto her tight, relishing in the smell of her hair, and the feeling of her being here, being real.

"Dean, you need to go back." Dean pulled away and looked at his Mother, he was suddenly sitting beside her, once again his twenty two year old self.

"Go back to what Mom? Sammy is gone, I am never going to see him again." Mary smiled and put her hand on Dean's cheek.

"You know your brother better then that Dean. I am deeply sorry I wasn't there to raise you boys, and I am even more sorry that my death made John forget what it was to be a father. He tried his best, but everything your brother is, every good quality he has, I owe to you. You did good with him Dean. You are his brother, mother, father, best friend, you are everything to him. Do you know that?" Dean let a tear fall down his cheek.

"I know that he is everything to me." That was the only answer he had.

"He feels the same way about you sweetie, and he will never disappear on you, you have to believe that."

"I do."

"Okay, then you need to promise me something."

"Anything Mom." Mary smiled sadly, and looked around the room.

"All of this, it's gone Dean, and you can't get it back, so I need you not to come here anymore, do not get stuck in the past sweetie, you can't change it."

"So what do I do?" Dean cried, he looked around his childhood room as it slowly faded around him, he was left sitting on Pastor Jim's porch, his Mom sitting beside him.

"Remember this."

"Remember what?" Dean flinched as a young version of Sam ran out of the door and down the stairs. Younger versions of Dean and Caleb quickly followed him out into the snow. They were laughing, and throwing snowballs at each other. Eventually Mackland, John, Jim and Bobby made their way out too, and the three children ganged up on the adults, and Dean watched them all smiling, and he felt the same warmth again.

"Remember the family that you still have, you don't need to come to your quiet place to find love Dean. It's right there, all around you." Dean smiled, and watched a young Sam running around, in a time before he knew about monsters and was just another kid.

"Do you really think Sam will come back?" Mary watched her sons out in the snow with a smile.

"I think that if he does, it has to be on his own terms, but I do know he lovesyou, and he will always be your brother." Dean smiled.

"I think I can live with that."

"Good, now go back Dean, your family needs you, just as much as you need them." Mary stood and began to walk away.

"Wait Mom, can I ask you one more question?"

"Of course sweetie."

"Am I ever going to see you again?" Mary smiled widely.

"Someday Dean, but not for a long time, but I'll be watching over you." And with that, she was gone, and Dean was left sitting on the porch of the farmhouse, watching as the younger versions of him, Sam, and Caleb faded. Dean took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

_"Deuce, c'mon dude come back." _Dean heard the voice, and he knew it was Caleb trying to call him back, and Dean focused on the voice and listened as it got closer, and then he was back in the room with Caleb.

"Damien?" Dean said, his throat felt dry and scratchy, but the tightness in his chest was gone for the first time in days. He looked up at his friend who was staring at Dean with worried eyes.

"Jesus Deuce, don't ever do that to me again."

"I won't."

"Are you okay?" Dean smiled, genuinely smiled.

"Yeah, I am gonna be okay." Caleb sighed and grabbed a water bottle off the end table.

"Drink this." Dean did as he was told, and looked around the room, it was dark outside.

"What time is it?"

"Nine o'clock, you've been out of it for awhile, what were you doing in there?"

"Well, I was talking to my mom." Caleb sighed and sat down on the bed, rubbing his hand over the stubble on his face. "It was a good thing Caleb, she told me to come back, she has never told me to come back before."

"Well I'm glad she did, I wasn't sure how to pull you out, that is one thing I could never do." Dean laughed.

"It isn't your job to pull me out." Dean looked around and frowned. "Damien where is my cell phone?"

"Uhhh, here." Caleb pulled the phone out of Dean's jacket pocket, which was hanging over a chair in the corner. "You calling your Dad?"

"No, not yet." Dean hit one on his speed dial and waited for the voicemail to pick up. "Hey Sammy, it's me. Look, I'm sorry I didn't do more the other night when you left. I should have said something to you, or found a way to make it better. So I am just gonna say it now. I love you kid, and I want you to do be happy, and if you can't be happy with us, I want you to live your own life. No matter what happens, your family will be here, if you need anything. You're my brother Sammy, and no matter what that doesn't change. Good luck at Stanford, you are gonna do great." Dean hung up the phone, and got up off of the bed.

"Where are you going Deuce?" Caleb asked.

"Well first I am gonna go to California and check on my little brother, and then I am gonna go to a bar. You in?"

"Hell yeah, I could use a road trip. What about after that?" Dean put on his jacket and smiled at his friend.

"After that, we got work to do."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Across the country a shaggy haired eighteen year old sat on a park bench across from Stanford University, listening to messages left by his family. He needed to know what was wrong with Dean, but he couldn't call him, so he dialed the only number he could think of, the only man who he knew would keep the secret. He dialed the well known number and waited.

"Hello?"

"Pastor Jim?"

"Samuel… it is good to hear from you son."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see you before I left… but can I ask a you a question?" Jim sighed.

"Dean is going to be fine." Sam smirked; Jim always knew exactly what he needed. "Caleb just called me, they are heading out to California to secretly check on you, Dean is going to have to get used to this, but he will be fine, he has family here. How are you Samuel?"

"Honestly? I love it, but it is kind of lonely…"

"Well, I could always let Dean know you are expecting him." Sam laughed.

"No, you can't, the only thing worse then not talking to him and him hating me for it, is him talking to me, and then being distracted and getting himself hurt. We need a clean break Jim, just… take care of my big brother for me okay, please?"

"Of course Samuel, we will take care of him I promise, just remember, we are all a phone call away." Sam wiped the tears from his face and smiled.

"I know Jim, you will always be my family, but… I need to do this."

"We know Sam, we all know that. Good luck at Stanford, you will make us all proud."

"Thanks, bye Jim. I'll see you soon." Jim laughed.

"No you won't boy, but I will see you again someday, goodbye." Sam hung up the phone and deleted his voicemails, if he was going to do this; he had to make a clean cut, Dean didn't need any distractions, he had his family, and Sam couldn't be a part of that world anymore. Thinking about all that he had lost, but at the same time all that he had gained. With tears in his eyes, he concentrated as much as he could, and sent a message that hopefully someone would pick up, it had been a long time since he had done this, but they did it when they were kids, and Sam hoped he was still close enough to Caleb for it to work.

"_Take care of my big brother Caleb, please."_ For a minute, Sam sat there, feeling a headache coming on, but believing he hadn't been heard. He took a deep breath and wiped the remnants if tears from his eyes and picked up his backpack, but just before he left the park bench he heard a quiet voice in his head.

"_Always." _Sam smiled, and walked back towards his school, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

In New York, Caleb smiled as he heard that tiny voice in his head, and he looked over at Dean sleeping in the passenger seat.

"_Always."_

"Always kid, always." And he drove in the direction of California, to check on their youngest, a kid who deserved a chance, so Caleb would take the brother role, until Sam came back to take back the responsibilities. It was worth it,


End file.
